The Wycliffe Bible

I came across this copy on Scribd earlier this afternoon. Oh, how the English language has changed!

The WYCLIFFE BIBLE (Official Translation)

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The Parable of the Good Samaritan in JC

Someone has attempted a translation of the parable of the "Good Samaritan" in Jamaican Creole and has posted it online. To read the parable, go here

Presentation on BT & JCTP

Last Friday, I made a two hour summary presentation on Bible translation and the Jamaican Creole Translation Project at UWI to a group of students taking a module on Jamaican Creole.

Bible Translation

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Matyu 6:9-13

9 "Wi Faada we iina evn,
mek piipl av nof rispek fi yu an yu niem.
10 Mek di taim kom wen yu ruul iina evri wie.
Laad, mek we yu waahn fi apn pan ort apn,
jos laik ou a wa yu waahn fi apn iina evn apn.
11 Evri die, gi wi di fuud we wi niid.
12 Paadn wi fi aal a di rang we wi du,
siem laik ou wi paadn dem we du wi rang.
13 No mek wi fies notn we wi kaaz wi fi sin,
an protek wi fram di Wikid Wan.”

Di Baibl Buorin, bra!

One of the primary concerns I've come across here in Jamaica esp. among young Christians is the issue of Scripture Use. How can the Bible be used in more interesting ways? Well, earlier this week I came across a fascinating website, scripture-engagement.org

Given the prestige and value of the Authorised Version (King James Version) in the eyes of Jamaicans and our plan to publish an idiomatic translation of the Scriptures in Jamaican Creole, I could not help but read an interesting article by David L Payne - "On promoting vernacular Scriptures where a national language translation is venerated."

For this and similar cool resources/ideas on Scripture Use, visit scripture-engagement.org...

ChristianHistory.net Features Translation Organisations

The title of the article is "Good News for the 20th Century" and was posted on 28^th January, 09.

The article's thesis statement is "Through Wycliffe Bible Translators, the Summer Institute of Linguistics, and the American Bible Society, Cameron Townsend and Eugene Nida changed the landscape of Bible translation."

The author, Sarah E Johnson, writes "In 1943, Cameron Townsend founded what has become the world's largest missionary organization, Wycliffe Bible Translators." Hmmm... I'm uncertain as to the validity of this claim. I think it's Youth With A Mission (YWAM) not WBT that's the world's largest missionary organisation. I need to confirm this....

To read Sarah's article, go ya so...

Predictive Texting in Jamaican Creole?

Have you ever used the predictive text (PT) feature of your mobile phone? Well if you didn't know, it is likely that your mobile can do predictive texting i.e. in the process of texting a message, your mobile can guess the words you are trying to enter into your text message and give you the option of selecting those words. The result: you make fewer keystrokes. To read more about PT visit, go ya so ...

The opportunity to make fewer keystrokes has also got health benefits! Not a few "mango seasons" ago, I watched Wellness Watch, a health presentation, on one of our local TV stations; the health issue featured was a hand illness (can't remember the name) which results from constant use of the hands – typing, sewing, grabbing, text messaging, etc.

I've just read an article in the Wall Street Journal which highlights the interesting fact that PT has economic as well as linguage benefits.

Naturally, this blog isn't as concerned with the economic advantages of PT as it is its language benefits - preservation and promotion! In fact, the title of the article suggests the author is also more interested in the linguistic side of things - "How the Lowly Text Message May Save Languages That Could Otherwise Fade."

Re: language preservation here's a quote, "Michael Cahill, linguistics coordinator for SIL International, says, "There are cases where texting is helping to preserve languages" by encouraging young people to write in their native tongue."

Re: language promotion here's a quote, ""It facilitates the Irish language as a communications tool for every day -- not just in the classroom."

I could not help but think that PT could also help to preserve and promote Jamaican Creole! In fact, I think it would be a very good means of promoting the Cassidy/LePage orthography, the spelling convention being used by the Jamaican Creole translation team.

To read the WSJ article, go ya so....